With gratitude to the Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing for his Advent 2011 Sermon
Resources.
Isaiah 40:10-11
[Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; St. Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)]
Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord
Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Sermon
...................................................................................
Isaiah 40:10-11
"Hark the Glad Sound"
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [Amen.]
"He comes the pris'ners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor"
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
349:2-3)
Sermon
Text...........................................................................
Isaiah 40:10-11
10Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold,
his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11He will tend his
flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry
them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Well, it's about time! After what seemed to be a very prolonged
and never-ending Advent season, we have finally arrived at another formal
celebration of our Savior's incarnate birth . Christmas.
We heard in tonight's Gospel Reading that "in the same region
there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to
them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will
be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will
find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.' And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those
with whom he is pleased!'" (Luke 2:8-14 ESV)
Following that nighttime announcement and choral concert, Dr. Luke
goes on to tell us that "When the angels went away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they
went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them
concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds
told them." (Luke 2:15-18 ESV)
Now comes the intriguing part . something that once again,
somewhat similar to last Sunday's Gospel Reading, focuses attention on the
young virgin maiden, Mary. The Holy Spirit-inspired narrative informs us
that "Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."
(Luke 2:19 ESV) That, my dear fellow witnesses of this event that occurred
over 2,000 years ago, is hopefully what we present-day Believers are doing
as well . treasuring up all these things and pondering them in our hearts.
As we do so, let's reflect on what our newest Synodical Catechism
says in only two rather brief questions and answers about the birth of Him
who is at the same time both the Son of God and the Son of Man. "129. What
do the Scriptures teach about Christ's conception? They teach that Christ,
the Son of God, received a truly human body and soul in the Virgin Mary
through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit, not through a human father.
130. What do the Scriptures teach of the birth of Christ? They teach that
Jesus Christ, the God-man, was born of the Virgin Mary." Those informative
questions and answers lead us to the following thought-provoking one. "133.
Why did Christ humble Himself? Christ voluntarily humbled Himself in order
to 'redeem me, a lost and condemned person.'" (Luther's Small Catechism with
Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 2008 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis,
MO. Pages 131 & 135.)
As Pastor Marks and I said numerous times during this now-past
Advent season, Jesus was born to die. That is, the sole purpose that He
entered our human race clothed in our human flesh was to take upon Himself
our human sins, suffer the inhumane punishment and die the inhumane
crucifixion death to atone for our sins in our place, and arose from the
dead in His human body in victorious triumph over sin, Satan, and death
itself . all to gain for us forgiveness of sins, spiritual healing, and
eternal life with Himself in heaven.
Speaking about death, the story is told about a man who was
walking through a cemetery late one night and fell into an open grave.
Frantically, he began to feel around the walls of the dark damp depression.
He soon began trying to jump out. Exhausted after a few minutes he gave up
all hope and sat down. Just then he heard someone say, "Forget it, pal.
You're stuck!" And guess what? Being totally shocked, stupendously
surprised, and fearfully frightened, the man scrambled out of that grave in
no time!
Here's something for us to ponder. How does it feel to be stuck
in a pit . jumping up frantically with no way out? How does it feel to be
stuck in a grave, clawing at the walls, only to fall back down again and
again? All of us certainly know how it feels.
In the case of the Israelites some 700 years before the birth of
Jesus, they had fallen into a pit that seemed impossible to escape. "The
period of Israel's history under consideration was, in the main, a period of
national prosperity; the land was full of silver and gold; neither was there
any end of their treasures. At the same time the land was also full of
idolatry, immorality, and evils of all kinds. Isaiah calls the Jews a
sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children
that are corrupters; they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the
Holy One of Israel to anger, they are gone away backward. While they still
attend the Temple services, bring offerings, and observe other religious
rites and ceremonies, they do so only outwardly, being a hypocritical
nation. The mass of the people are confirmed in their [abandonment of
Yahweh] and unbelief." (Christopher F. Drewes in Introduction to the Books
of the Bible. Copyright © 1929 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
Pages 83f.)
Does that sound any at all familiar? It certainly ought to,
seeing as it's a fairly accurate description of our contemporary American
culture and society. It's vitally important for us to realize that God uses
timely events to communicate timeless messages. The timely historical Old
Testament events such as Israel's fall away from and rebellion against the
one true Triune God and the resultant Babylonian captivity of them that God
allowed certainly serves as a timeless wake-up call for us today.
As such, consider the following scenarios as we sit in our pit of
disappointment and observe people passing by and offering their help. A
sensitive person walks by and says, "I feel for you down there. I'll get
around to sending you some flowers real soon!" A well-intentioned albeit
misguided religious person walks by and says, "Only bad people fall into
pits. What did you do so wrong to end up so stuck?" A math teacher walks
by and says, "Let me calculate how you fell into the pit." So he takes out
his calculator and crunches some numbers. A news reporter walks by and
says, "Let me do an exclusive story on your pitiful plight." An IRS man
walks by and says, "Hey, are you paying taxes on your pit?" A friend walks
by and says, "Things could be worse." A pessimist walks by and says,
"Things will get worse."
Truth be told, like the Israelites most of the time we are the
ones who dig our own graves. Some of us do so by our inability to control
anger; others are unable to manage money. Some among us abuse alcohol,
drugs, food, or sex; others are unable to properly manage their personal
physical health and wellbeing. There are some in our midst whose attitude
toward others is one of disdainful better-than-thou arrogant pride; others
like to wallow in their real or imagined misery, milking it any and every
way they can to garner the sympathy and pity of others. All of us have
difficulty taming our tongue and avoiding betraying, slandering, or hurting
the reputation of others.
But then we do something downright deceptive. We begin decorating
our pit. We put up pictures and wallpaper. A couch here, a chair there;
and presto, the place almost looks like home. In fact, it takes on an
appealing appearance and an inviting air. It becomes a place of comfort,
relaxation, and security. But it's really not that at all!
You see, pagans look for strength in their idols (41:6-7).
Yahweh, on the other hand, promises to be the source of strength for His
people (41:9, 13; 42:6). The image of Yahweh's "arm" goes back to Exodus
chapter 15, verse 3, which heralds Yahweh as a "Man of War" who, in Exodus
chapter 6, verse 6, is described as one with "an outstretched arm." Israel
was never beyond Yahweh's mighty reach. This exodus image appears in
multiple places in chapters 40 through 55, including the text for this
sermon, Isaiah chapter 40, verses 10-11. Yahweh reveals His strong arm in
chapter 40, verse 10 and His compassionate arm in chapter 40, verse 11. The
Psalms celebrate that Yahweh employs His arm for all people (Ps 98:1-3) and
portray Yahweh's arm in conflict for the sake of David (Ps 89:3, 20, 35, 49
[2, 19, 34, 48]). Yahweh's "outstretched arm" is a common feature in
Deuteronomy, where it's coupled with "mighty hand" in various places. In
Deuteronomy chapter 33, verse 27 Moses promises Israel that under them are
"the everlasting arms."
Back in the pit, night falls. It's an ordinary night with an
ordinary sky. There are some sheep. But they're ordinary as well. We hear
them from our pit. And we hear some shepherds. They're peasants . ordinary
men. They smell like sheep and probably look just as wooly.
It was an ordinary night in the pit when ordinary sheep and
ordinary shepherds are resting to renew their strength. And were it not for
a God who loves to hook an "extra" on the front of ordinary, that night
would have gone unnoticed.
But God dances in the midst of the common. And that night He did
a grand ballroom waltz. The black sky exploded with brightness. Trees that
had been mere shadows became clearly visible. Sheep that had been silent
became a chorus of curiosity. What in the world was going on?
Jesus was coming into our human hell. Jesus was entering our deep
darkness. And Jesus was arriving in our pit, right where we are. His arms
felt the burn of the whiplash as He was beaten for our sins. His arms felt
the flaming fire of the nails that pierced His flesh. His arms felt the
weight of His body as He hung on the old rugged cross. His arms felt the
warmth of His own blood as it flowed from His open wounds.
But Moses revealed that underneath us are the everlasting arms.
Those arms, though, that once were dead, are alive again. They are
everlasting! Our Savior's arms welcome us, hold us, comfort us, sustain us,
protect us, defend us, lead us, and guide us forever. And they're reaching
into our pit right now and every time we fall into it to pull us up and get
us out!
"Hark the glad sound, the Savior comes!" This Savior is none
other than the One about whom Isaiah prophesied, "For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his
name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace." (Isa 9:6 ESV) And, He is the One about whom St. Paul
wrote to Titus, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for
all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to
live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting
for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and
to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for
good works." (Titus 2:11-14 ESV)
Hark the glad sound, the Savior (who first came into this world
through the birth canal of the Virgin Mary and who will come again on the
Last Day in great and grand glory to judge the living and the dead) now
comes daily in the reading and hearing of God's Holy Word, the comforting
words of Holy Absolution, and the Blessed Sacraments of Holy Baptism and
Holy Communion. In joyful and grateful response, let's follow the example
of the shepherds who, after seeing the newborn Christ Child with their very
own eyes, returned to their vocational responsibilities "glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
(Luke 2:20 ESV)
Hark the glad sound, the Savior came, the Savior comes, and the
Savior will come again! In the meantime and always, He invites us to "Come
to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt
11:28 ESV), something we echo when we sing:
"O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him Born the King of angels:
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!" (Lutheran Service Book. 379:1.)
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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